It had all come down to the final round. After the swimsuit competition, a new Ms. Halestead High would be chosen. Unlike the normal run of the mill fame, fortune and the choice of any guy that the winner cared to go out with, there was something a bit more personal this time. The two leading contenders had a grudge match going.
"Well, Veronica. How do you feel?" Chad asked, looking nervously at the time. "It's still quite a while before the finals and the swimsuit competition. Think you can make it?"
"Of course, I'm fine!" Veronica flashed him the smile as she turned and winked. Once again he felt his knees shiver. Amazingly enough, even though she could cause such detestation with a mere look, she seemed unaware of it. A tall girl with black hair that descended in soft curls to her shoulders, she showed a great deal of toned, fit and desirable skin underneath her low cut one piece bathing suit. A lifestyle of exercise and health showed in every movement.
"I just wish I knew how Sherri caught up so easily," a frown puckered her near perfect face. "I had a ten point lead until the cooking competition, then suddenly she came up with the perfect pizza and my pie chashed in the making. Oh well, everyone knows I have the last event in the bag. After all, Sherri's pretty cute, but I don't think she can compete with this."
Chad had to agree. Sherri was petite with amazingly piled up blonde hair as well as an interesting figure, but she just couldn't compete with Veronica's aerobicised appearance. It would be close, but in the end Veronica was almost sure to win. If nothing strange happened. "Howsabout I go and scope out the situation? Y'know, see if they're planning anything?"
"That would be unethical, Chad." Veronica frowned again. "Then again, you never know with Sherri. You better go check. I think she's with her friend Newmann."
"I can't believe I'm losing to that bimbo!" Sherri ranted as she stomped about in the confined spaces of a cluttered lab. "Here I spend all that money and effort to buy the judges off for the talent show and not only do I lose to Erica, Veronica comes out of no where and passes me up with that juggling act too. Good thing I was able to get Erica's crab cakes before she got my pizza and I can outcook Veronica any day of the week."
"Stop moving around," Newmann muttered, scribbling away furiously in a notebook. "I have to get the skin composition exactly right for this to work."
"Are you sure this'll do the trick?"
"Sure I'm sure," he replied indignantly. "I... well, my dad's been working on this for years. Basically all I'm doing is giving you a second layer of false skin from your neck to your ankles and wrists. It'll conform to your body shape exactly, but since it stretches..."
"I'll be able to strategically augment it in order to beat out that beach bunny Veronica! I still wonder where she gets all the time to exercise and still get those grades... I mean it's not like she can afford to pay off the teachers for better grades like I can. Is the suit ready?"
"Yup." Newmann held up what looked like a unitard with a short zipper along the back. "Good thing you decided to wear that swimsuit with the high collar and the belt. That'll cover the collar of the skinsuit. Everything else I can blend in well enough to be almost invisible."
"What about this?" Sherri asked, pointing at a small nozzle, much like that of a bike tire where the pump is attached. It stuck out the back of the suit, just below where the zipper started.
"That? Don't worry, it'll match right in with your belt. Ok, strip down and climb in."
Sherri was quickly out of her clothing and carefully pulling the suit on almost before he finished the sentence. "Oh, don't be so careful with it. It's incredibly resilient stuff. I think it would take a pretty sharp knife to cut it."
After sliding into the outfit and having Newmann zip it up, Sherri resembled a barbi doll. No private parts showed whatsoever, but only close examination would reveal that she was wearing anything. The suit blended nearly perfectly with her skin.
"How does it feel?"
"Not bad. Really comfortable, almost like smooth satin. Or maybe rubber. Yeah, that's it, like smooth and warm rubber. Now what?"
"Here's your swimsuit." It wasn't really what could be termed a swimsuit. Something this expensive would never be worn where water could mar it. The neckpiece started just below the chin, dropping to evenly hemmed legs. The wide black sash was the only thing to mar the spandex white of the outfit, adding a mark of distinction.
"Alright, the valve blends in right with the sash. No one'll notice it," Newmann grinned. "Now let's try this out."
"This is so cool!" Sherri squealed. "I'm so glad my dad hired yours to be head of research. You get to play with all his new stuff!" Newmann connected a small hand pump to the valve, then started squeezing away. Holding her breath, Sherri watched in the mirror. Slowly, muscle tone seemed to improve before her eyes, arms thickening slightly. Her bustline lifted outward slowly while her waist remained perfectly the same. Hips flared ever so slightly and her legs assumed curves that she'd thought she'd never see exept through expensive pants.
"Oh, that's just perfect."
Running her hands down her front, Sherri sighed. Reaching for the hand pump, she tried to disconnect it, but couldn't until Newmann twisted it off the valve.
"Sorry 'bout that. It's a cheap valve and if you don't twist it off right, it'll jam."
"Never mind." Sherri grinned happily. "This paegant is in the can. There's no way anyone could find Veronica better'n me!" She could very well be right. Originally having an intrinsic cuteness, now Sherri's appearance could only be described as outstanding. With a pair of high heels with wrap around laces to hide the leg cuffs, she was ready and prepared to face all comers.
"She did what?!?" Aghast, Veronica sat down in stunned amazement. "That, that's cheating!" Chad nodded solemnly.
"I saw the whole thing through the vent."
Veronica eyed him suspiciously. "What is this, information you picked up back when you were still spying into the women's showers? Nevermind! I can't believe Sherri would sink so low... I don't wanna lose to someone who's cheating."
Chad smiled as he lightly punched Veronica in the shoulder. "C'mon, that's not the Veronica I know. You'll think of something. See, you already have that look in your eye!"
"Chad, you said the valve was kinda sticky?"
"Yeah..."
"C'mon, I've got an idea. I need you to go down to the supply office and pick up some equipment. Lets see if we can turn Sherri's new assets against her."
Sherri was already in the stage antiroom, admiring herself in a wall mirror, when Veronica shuffled in. Turning with a happy smile, she greeted her opponent, pretending to be friends when all the while she was flaunting her new outline to the dismayed Veronica. Chad was right, she realized. Sherri now had an incredible body. But if a few curves were enough to win, Veronica was determined to give Sherri more than she could handle.
"Why don't we sit down and wait? It's still twenty minutes or so before we go on," Veronica suggested, sitting down on the only chair available. The only other furniture was a few tables and an open backed stool nearby. Aquiesing, Sherri sat down with ill grace, but was soon absorbed in reading a magazine.
"What's that on your sash there?" Veronica pointed to Sherri's back. "It looks as though you have some lint on there."
"Really?" Sherri tried to glance over her shoulder, but couldn't get the area in question into view. "Could you pick it off for me?"
"Certainly!" Veronica smirked. "Hold still." Reaching forward, she brought forth what she had been hiding carefully behind herself the entire time. An air hose, clamp formost with the end of the hose going out the door. Brushing and tugging on the sash, she carefully clipped on the fitting sticking a bit out of the back of Sherri's suit.
"Pardon me. Veronica, may I speak with you for a moment?" Chad waved from the door.
"Be right back!" Veronica walked over, her high heels clicking on the hardwood floor. "Did you get the tanks?" she whispered to Chad.
"All they had were some nearly full ones of helium from last weeks Halloween party. I already hooked one up in the hallway."
"Fire it up!" Veronica turned and went back to her seat with a smile for Sherri.
Watching the air line, Veronica could tell when it turned on as the pressure made it squiggle a bit. A gentle hissing, barely audible, started. The effect on Sherri was almost as if it were a roar. She sat bolt upright, glancing around nervously before staring down at her arms and legs, checking for leaks.
The fact that there were no leaks took a bit to catch on, and there was already a noticeable increase in the size of her calves to Veronica before Sherri got up. Flashing a nervous smile to Veronica, she slowly stepped towards the corner mirror. Supressing a grin, Veronica watched out of the corner of her eye.
The first thing Sherri noticed was that when she looked down, she could no longer see her feet. The suit hadn't made her that big, she knew for certain. Glancing down, she stifled a gasp as she realized her bustline was slowly moving outward, almost as if more gas were coming in from somewhere. Staring into the mirror, she realized she had already increased a cup size or two. Her figure had gone from trim and athletic to full figured and voluptuous. As she watched in horrified amazement, she became even more topheavy, her legs puffing up a bit in nice curves leading down to well rounded calves.
"Oh no!" Sherri blurted out, spying the air hose for the first time in the mirror. A quick exploration by her fingers revealed its attachment to the valve on her back. Tugging hard, she realized she was only jamming it on tighter. She tried to tug on her sleeve to peel it back, but her chest was already large enough to get in the way, straining at her swimsuit. Putting her hands over her chest, Sherri tried to squeeze it all back in. All that happened was that it puffed up and down squooshing into her face. A definite sensation of pressure was starting to be felt.
Glancing up into the mirror, Sherri blinked in astonishment. Her once trim figure was now swollen to massive size. Twin beach balls stretched her suit to the limit while her shoulders had started to bulk up, adding to a sudden feeling of claustrophobia. Her arms had started to swell as well, looking for all the world like she had begun to develop giant muscles. Below, her waist was still somewhat normal, although it was puffing outward as well and her legs billowed out from the leg openings of the suit.
As Sherri watched with stunned horror, the suit swelled larger and larger. She became more and more pumped with gas, a feeling of increasing pressure spreading over her body. Helpless, Sherri could only tell what was going on lower down by the mirror as her now beanbag sized breasts ballooned ever outward. Trying to move, she realized that she could no longer do more than a light shuffle as the suit gripped her with a growing strength. Slowly her arms straightened out and her shoulders, swollen enormously, touched up against her neck.
With a ripping pop, the sash gave, letting her waist bulge outward. Sherri began to pant, trying to draw breath against the tension of the suit. More and more she began to resemble a vaguely female shaped ball, ballooning, inflating, swelling, expanding larger and larger and larger.
A peal of laughter broke her out of her shock. "Oh, this is great!" Veronica laughed again, coming over to stand next to Sherri.
"You're huge!"
"Veronica!" Sherri panted. "Stop it! Please, you've got to help me! I can't move..." Veronica's next statement was cut off as Sherri let out a loud yelp. Slowly and ponderously, like a blimp rising from the ground, she started to drift upward.
"Wow, I didn't think you'd get big enough to do that." Veronica snickered again as Sherri's swimsuit gave up the ghost and popped off, dropping to the floor.
"Help meee! Ouch!" Sherri winced as her head hit the ceiling, then started caterwauling again.
Veronica reached up and gave the hose a good tug, separating the nozzle from the valve with a pop. Reaching up and grasping Sherri's high heel with one hand, she pulled her down far enough to tie a short rope from one of the tables around her ankle.
"Oh, you'll make such an adorable balloon. Now I think I'll go out and show you around a bit!"
"No, wait! I admit I cheated, but that doesn't deserve this!" Sherri had turned rather red from all of her puffing.
"Sure it does." Veronica let go of the rope. Sherri shot up and bonked her head into the ceiling again, yelping loudly. "Let's go see some judges."